New Definition of Pain
by Lady FoxFire
Summary: **Series in Progress**Ardeth has been sold into slavery. Can Rick save him before he learns a new definition of pain.
1. New Definition of Pain

Disclaimer: I don't own The Mummy or The Mummy Returns (except on DVD, love both movies) nor do I make any money off of this story.

Bad Author Notes: Story takes place after the Return of the Mummy

****

New Definition of Pain

By Lady FoxFire

Feb 24, 2002

"Now here we have a rare desert flower!" A man shouted to the crowd assembled in front as he drags a young girl with long black hair onto the stage. She looks wide-eyed at the crowd staring at her, too shocked by what was happening to her to fight the man.

The man grabbed a hold of her tunic and with a quick tug, the seams ripped and the man was able to expose her breasts to the crowd. With a squeal, she quickly tries to cover herself only to be stopped as the slave driver held her arms away from her breasts

"A fine prize, my friends! See her nice firm breasts." He states before releasing her arms. "And wide hips for birthing many fine sons." He explains to the crowd as he roughly grabs her hips. 

A whimper of pain escapes from her lips from the man's rough handling of her. Tears began to well up in her eyes as she searched the audience for anyone to save her from this nightmare. 

Most ignored the auctioneer as he exclaimed the virtues of this young desert flower, however, a few members of the audience did show interest.

"How are her teeth?" A rough male voice called from the audience.

"Can she work?" A nasally voice shouted from the front of the crowd.

An oily grin appeared on the auctioneer face as he translated their questions to money. "Come, my friends. Come and examine this rarest of treasure." He called out to them in a voice that felt slimy to all who heard it. 

The dark haired girl tried to back away from the men as they climbed onto the stage, but was stopped by the man selling her. She stared at the men wide-eyed as they cruelly grasped her arms and examined her hands. One man even pried open her mouth and looked at her teeth, as if she were a horse he was thinking of buying. After a few minutes examining the poor girl they were satisfied and left the stage.

The slave driver rubbed his hands together and grinned greedily. "Now, let's start the bidding at two hundred. Do with have any bidders?"

"Here!" A hand shot up into the air.

"Two fifty!" Another man bid.

"Three hundred!" Yet a third voice called out.

After intense but brief bidding war the young girl was quickly sold for the sum of six hundred and fifty. The girl quaked in fear as her new master lumbered onto the stage to claim his prize. The crowd ignored the girl's pitiful screams of terror, as the man grabbed her roughly and dragged her away. 

The crowd cared nothing for the young girl's fate; they were waiting for the real attraction of this auction. As if by the will of the crowd, two slave drivers appeared on stage dragging the battered and bruised body of a male toward a set of poles on the stage. 

They quickly stretched the new slave's arms above his head and tied them to the post, his weight supported only by his wrists as the ropes cut into him. One of the slavers pulled out a wicked looking knife, and with a few quick slashes the slave's tattooed chest was laid bare as the rags that were once his robes floated to the ground. His head hung down towards his chest in exhaustion as his captors walked away from him laughing.

The crowd murmurs among itself with glee as they study the new slave. Under the cover of dirt and dried blood, they could see the lean, taunt muscles of a warrior. His body bore a number of scars won from battles, and intricate tattoos proclaiming, to all that could read them, his heroic deeds.

The auctioneer's grin grew as he saw the crowd's interest rise at the new slave. "Here we have a true rarity, a Med-jai warrior." He said as he grabbed a handful of the man's long black hair and pulled his head up so that the audience could gaze upon the battered and bruised face of such a feared fighter.

The warrior looked out upon the crowd through one eye, his other one was swollen shut with a horrible purple bruise tinged with green and sickly yellow surrounding it, his split lips curled back in disgust at those in front of him. A mixed of dried blood and mud was caught in the stubble of his cheeks and goatee.

The slave began to say something when an angry voice shouted from the crowd. "Ardeth Bay!! That's Ardeth Bay!!" The crowd erupted into noise as the name of the Med-Jai leader spread like wildfire through the crowd. 

The auctioneer released Ardeth's hair in shock at hearing the name. Taking a step back in fear, he waited for his death to come from his prisoner. He swallowed nervously as he eyed his Med-Jai prisoner, with quick glance at the audience then back to the warrior and the ropes holding him.

Wiping the nervous sweat from his face, the slave driver called out to the audience, "We will begin the bidding at five hundred." A gasp could be heard from the crowd, never had the initial asking bid been so high. "Do I have any takers?" The slaver asked nervously.

"Here!" A voice called from near the stage.

"Five fifty." Another voice called soon after the first.

"Six."

"Six fifty!"

A fierce and vicious bidding war raged over the fate of the Med-jai as he watched helplessly from the stage. The slaver encourage them to bid higher and higher, to not miss the once-in-a-lifetime chance to get their hands on a Med-jai. 

Bidders began to drop out as the amount spiraled higher and higher. Soon only two bidders are left. "Eighteen hundred." Squat oily man with greasy rolls of flesh under his chin, beady eyes and a mouth full of missing and rotting teeth called out as he grinned evilly at Ardeth.

"Twenty." Replied a tall trim man with steel gray hair and a blade at his side. He stood ramrod straight. His gray eyes never once moved from the Med-jai as Ardeth hung helpless before the crowd.

Twenty two." The oily man called out with glee.

Everyone's eyes turned to the old man. His shoulders slumped in defeat as he slowly closed his eyes and shook his head no. The squat oily man almost crowed with glee at the realization that he had won.

"Twenty two hundred! Going One! Going Twi.."

"Twenty four." A voice called out from the rear of the crowd. The audience turned to look at this new bidder. A trim warrior stood there, and something about him made those in the crowd nearest him edge nervously away. Dressed in grayish brown robes that would hide extra weapons perfectly in their loose folds, constant coiled tension knotted inside the approaching stranger. With his face partly covered by his turban scarf, only his icy, nearly black eyes showed. A few strands of black hair hung on his forehead, making him look even more rakish and dangerous. 

"What was that?" The slaver driver as nervously as he eyed this new bidder

"Twenty four hundred." He replied in a clipped tone as he walked closer to the stage.

The oily man's eyes shot daggers at the new bidder. "Twenty six," he snarled, as he watched the way the new stranger moved and the weapons he carried.

"Twenty eight," the stranger said without hesitation, his eyes scanning the crowd for danger.

"Thirty," the first bidder said between clenched teeth as he glared at the stranger. His hands clenched and unclenched, as if he wished to stab the new bidder that was costing him so much money.

The warrior turned to the squat, oily man, his dead eyes boring a hole into the man's head. "Thirty six," he said in a slow and careful voice so that everyone could hear that no one was going to win this slave but him.

Silence filled the once noisy market. Never before had anyone or anything gone for so much. "Th… Th… Thirty six hundred…" The auctioneer stuttered with wide eyes over the amount. "Going once. Going twice. **SOLD!!!**"

The crowd erupted into an earth-shattering cheer at the record-breaking sale. Never before had anyone paid so much for a single slave! And never before had a Med-Jai been sold into slavery! Everyone had a different idea on the fate of the legendary desert warrior.

"Slow death at the hand…" someone said.

"Pleasure slave to a British lord…"

"Sacrifice to the old Gods!"

The slaver grinned greedily as the warrior made his way to the stage. "All sales must be paid in full before you can claim your prize." The slaver shouted out to the new owner.

The oily man continues to glare at the winner. "This isn't over," he said in a voice pitched so that only the stranger could hear him as the warrior passed by. The stranger walked by him without acknowledging either him or what he said before climbing up the stage.

The slave driver licked his lips nervously as he shrank back from this dangerous man. "That would be thirty six hundred, sir," he said nervously.

The man turned his cold dead eyes upon the slaver, as he reached into his robes and pulled out two small bags. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed them at the slave driver, who barely caught them before they spilled onto the floor. Quickly the man opened the bags and peered inside. His head immediately came up in surprise, his eyes glittering at what he found inside the bag. His head bobbed up and down as he grinned like a manic. "This should cover it very well. He's all yours, effendi. And thank you."

Ardeth's master stalked over to where the Med-jai hung by his wrists and grabbed him by the face. The man forced Ardeth to raise his head so that he could look into his master's eyes. "You will soon discover a new definition of pain, my Med-jai slave." His master purred, gazing with pride at his new slave.

Ardeth shuttered as the words hit him like a sword blow. As the last of his strength fled, his eyes rolled up in his head as darkness claimed him.


	2. Of Dreams, Prophecies and Grandmothers

Disclaimer: Oh how I wish I owned Ardeth or even Rick. **Sigh** it's not easy to be single in today's world. Oh well. As usual I don't make any money off this fanfic but if you're willing to give me some to speed the chapters along I won't say no!

Bad Author Notes: Blame Deana for this chapter being so late. When her Internet connect went down she took my Muse with her. 

Of Dreams, Prophecies and Grandmothers

By Lady FoxFire

April 28, 2002

Rick sighed, as he looked up at the night. Desert skies were beautiful; every star that was discernable to the human eye seemed to be visible. It would have been a perfect night to sleep under the stars if it weren't for Nasir's bone-rattling snoozes that filled the air. 

With a weary sigh, Rick pulled his blankets around him and climbed out of his spot. Stumbling, Rick made his way over to the fire and collapsed into a heap.

"Can not sleep?" Tarig asked staring into the flames as he used a stick to stoke the fire.

Rick nodded his head as he hid a yawn behind his hand. "I was able to doze off for a little bit but..." his voice trailed off as he wrapped the blanket tighter around him.

"More dreams or Nasir's snoring?" Tarig asked with a chuckle as he looked over at his sleeping companions.

"Both," Rick replied as he gazed into the burning coals of the fire. "Nasir's snoozing reminds me of the braying of a camel in heat, only the camels sound better." Tarig chuckled at Rick's comment. "And when I finally get to sleep..." Rick ran a shaking hand over his face.

Tarig sat silently, giving Rick time to calm his nerves. "How far away do you think we are?" Tarig asked, finally breaking the silence.

"Three maybe four days." Rick said quietly. "They have a good head start on us."

Tarig nodded his head in understanding. The crackling of the fire, the soft noise of the sleeping camels, the peaceful sounds of the desert and Nasir's camel-mating calls were the only sounds to be heard.

"You need to get some sleep," Tarig stated as he watched Rick yawn again. "You're of no use to us or Ardeth half dead from exhaustion."

"I know." Rick nodded sleepily. "I'll try to sleep again. I just... I need to think a few things through first," he explained with a shrug.

"I understand. But try to get some sleep." Tarig said as before disappearing into the night to make his rounds.

~*~

"Rick! Rick!" Evy called in a panicked voice as her husband moaned and thrashed in his sleep, caught in a dream he couldn't awake from. "Please Rick. Wake up!" she pleaded as she shook her husband

Suddenly he sat up in bed his eyes filled with horror. "ARDETH!" Rick screamed.

"Rick?" Evy whispered in a shaky voice as she reached out for her beloved. Never before had Rick had a nightmare like this. The anguish in his screams sent goosebumps across her body.

Rick spun in the bed his hands clenched into fists; ready to defend himself against any foe. Evy shrank back from the crazed look on Rick's face and in his eyes. "Rick?" Her voice cracked as she edged away from him, never taking her eyes off him.

"Evy?" Rick whispered her name as last of the nightmare slipped away. The crazed look in his eyes slowly was replaced by one of shock as he gazed upon the love of his life. With a trembling hand he gentle caressed his wife's check. "Evy," he said as his voice broke, and his eyes began to well with tears. His body trembled as quiet sobs racked his body.

"Shhhhhh," she whispered as she pulled his trembling body to her. "Everything is all right now. It was just a nightmare," she told him as she gently stoked his hair, holding him close to her as she whispered soothing nonsense the whole time as she worked to dispel the last of the dream. "Everything's all right now."

Pulling away from her, Rick shook his head. "I don't think so Evy." He's voice was laced with anguish. "Something is wrong with Ardeth." He explained to her as he held her by the shoulders and looked deeply into her eyes. "I can feel it Evy. He's in danger."

Evy leans back against the headboard and stared in silence at her husband. With a quick nod of her head, she made her decision. "Alright then, we'll go to Egypt. We'll go and find Ardeth. If he's in danger then we'll rescue him or we'll avenge him." Her voice deepened into a dangerous tone. Still unnerved by his nightmare, Rick shivered again at the thought of what his lovely bride would do to anyone who harmed their family

"Evy, no." He sighed as he shook his head, his hair falling across his eyes. "It would take too long. Getting Alex from the boarding school, dealing with Jonathan so he doesn't get into trouble, packing..." he explained as he climbed out of their bed. "I have to go now. I have to."

Rick turned his back on his wife and began to get dressed. As he pulled his shirt on Evelyn spoke up. "Alright. Take the first flight out. If everything is alright we'll meet at that little hotel we stayed at last time."

Rick turned and stared adoringly at the woman he loved. "Have I told you that I love you recently?" 

A smirk appeared on Evy's face as she seductively waved her finger in the 'come here' gesture. "Not today you haven't," she said in a husky voice

Rick crawled up on their bed and gave her a burning kiss that took her breath away. Leaning their foreheads together they stared into each other's eyes "Evy, if...if this feeling is right and something is wrong I'll try to have you met by one of the Med-Jai," he said as he gently caressed her face.

With one last lingering kiss, Rick slipped off the bed, turned and walked out of the room, shutting the door silently behind him.

~*~

Rick drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair as he patiently waited outside the office of the new curator of Museum of Antiquities. For a moment O'Connell reflected on the fate of the previous curator, Dr. Bey, how through his sacrifice Rick was able to save the love of his life.

"If you can get a word to the big guy up there, Doc, I would appreciate it cause I'm going to need the help on this one," Rick mumbled to himself as he stood to pace the room in a fit of nervous energy.

Just then the knob on the office door turned, as the door swung open and Rick came face to face with a thin man about the same height as Evy. Rick quickly looked the man over as he tried to determine how much of a threat the man could be. He quickly took in the trim body just starting to go soft, the deep tan and wrinkled face of the man that only years under the cruel Egyptian sun could created on those from a northern climate.

"Ahh Mr. O'Connell, a pleasure to finally meet you. I'm Dr. Hamilton, the curator of this fine establishment," the older man said in a clipped British accent as he held out his hand to Rick. "How may I be a service to you?"

Take the man's hand, Rick nodded to the man. "Dr. Hamilton. Thank you for seeing me on such short notice."

"Thank nothing of it my boy," Hamilton replied as he bowed O'Connell into his office. "The work you and your esteemed wife has done for the fathering of the study of Ancient Egypt is well known. To be truthful it's quiet an honor to meet you. Will you lovely wife be joining you?" he asked as he shut the door behind him.

Rick turned toward the doctor as he heard the click of the door being shut behind him. "Lets drop the chit chat shall we doc. Right now I need your help in contacting the Med-Jai," he said as his eyes blazed; his polite act dropping to reveal a man on the edge. 

"The Med-Jai?" Hamilton said in shock, as he eyes grew wide at the dangerous man in his office. "But... but they're just legends. Tales the Arabs told to drunken men just like the stories of Hamanuptra."

"Bullshit!" Rick spat. "We both know that without the Med-Jai's permission this whole place won't exist," he said with a wave of his hands to indicate he was talking about the museum.

"Mr. O'Connell, I can assure you that..." Hamilton said in a firm voice, trying to calm Rick down as he made his way slowly towards his desk.

"No, you listen to me," Rick said as he stalked the doctor. "You will contact them and have them meet me at my hotel tonight, or else."

"Or else what?" Dr. Hamilton said nervously as he stared at the enraged man.

Rick's eyes became cold and hard, the look of a cold blooded killer. "You don't want to know. Trust me, you don't want to know."

With that O'Connell turned and marched out of the office, closely the door softly as he left. Hamilton collapsed into his chair as his body shook in terror. After calming himself enough that his hand didn't shake, he reached out and picked up the phone.

~*~

Moonlight streamed into Rick's hotel room as he paced the room's confines in a futile attempt to burn off some of his extra energy

"Damn it! Where are they?" he hissed through clutched teeth, unconsciously rubbing his breastbone with the palm of his hand. This need, this compulsion to find Ardeth was driving him insane. "He has to be their museum contact, he just had to be."

A soft creak on the other side of the door alerted Rick that someone was in the hallway. He dropped down into a defensive crouch, his guns already out and pointed at the door, when a knock echoed through the room. "About time," he muttered under his breath as he slipped the guns into his holsters and went to open the door. 

Opening the door he comes face to face with three Med-Jai.

Rick grabbed the robes of the closest warrior and spun the white-haired man around. The warrior's back slammed against the wall as his companions stood in the hall, too surprised by the angry American's swiftness to react.

"Where is he? Where is Ardeth?" Rick hissed in the Med-Jai's face as he slammed him up against the wall again. "Where is he?"

The Med-Jai's face hardened as he stared at the American with contempt. "It is not your concern where he is." His companions slipped inside the room and shut the door without making a sound as they watched the American carefully, waiting for him to harm their brother-in-arms.

Rick glared angrily at the man as he let him go. With a quick tug, Rick pulled the bracer off his right arm and threw it to the ground. Thrusting the Med-Jai marks on his wrist into the warrior's face, Rick hissed, "This makes it my business."

The warrior looked at the tattoo then at Rick's face and back again. "_You?_" he said in disbelief. "You are the Wahid? The lost Med-Jai?" 

"Yeah," Rick said simply, lost in thought as he traced the tattoo on his wrist. "Now tell me where Ardeth is at," he said as he snapped back into the here and now.

"Or what?" The biggest of the three Med-Jai warriors snarled as he crossed his arms in front of his massive chest. His black eyes shot daggers at Rick from his place next to the door.

"Or else I'll track down the ones who have Ardeth myself," Rick snapped at the man. "With or without the Med-Jai help.

The faces of the Med-Jai hardened at Rick's words. "What you mean the ones who have Ardeth?" asked the white-haired warrior Rick had backed up against the wall.

Rick turned away from the Med-jai and made his way over to the window. He gazed out at the full moon as it hovered above the city in silence before finally speaking. "He's in danger. I don't know how to explain it but I know that Ardeth's life is endangered. He's calling me. He needs me to find him and rescue him," he explained as he rested his head against the cool glass of the window.

"How do you know this?" The big Med-jai asked in a gruff voice as he moved farther into the room.

Rick turned from the view of the city and rested his back against the wall. Sliding down the wall in exhaustion he pulled his knees in as if he were a small child caught up in a nightmare. 

"This will sound insane but I feel him. I feel what's happening to him. The kicks, the fists, the whip." Rick closed his eyes as if to drive out all that he feels and sees through Ardeth's eyes. "I feel the heat of the day and the freezing cold of the night. His hunger. His thirst. I feel him calling me"

"You lie," the massive warrior snapped as he marched threateningly over to where Rick sat helpless on the floor. 

"Nasir, please be silent," the smallest Med-Jai said as he pulled the scarred warrior away from Rick. "I have heard of such a thing before. The Wise Ones have many tales of this type of connection between brothers."

Nasir snorted with disgust at this idea.

"Tarig, I think you'd better explain. You've had more experience with the Wise Ones then either I or Nasir," the eldest Med-Jai said as he watched Rick start to rock himself slowly.

Tarig chewed on his bottom lip for a moment, in thought before speaking. "A long time ago there were two brothers, both furious Med-jai warriors. On a patrol the eldest brother was attacked and captured by desert raiders. The Elders believed that he was dead and the families grieved for his loss.

But his brother, the youngest of his family, dreamed that he was still alive, and that he was being tortured and beaten by a raider. He told the Elders and the Wise Ones about his dreams and the feeling that drove him but no one would listen. They all thought he was crazed with grief; for the two brothers had been close.

One night he left the camp alone, in search for his brother with only his weapons, a camel and supplies. A fortnight later the eldest son returned battered and bruised with his brother's body. 

He told how his brother had entered the camp and fighting like a man demon against any that raised a hand towards him. Of the escape from the camp and how the young brother died, how there were no wounds on his body and of how his heart stopped.

The story goes on to tell how the healers cleaned and healed the eldest brothers wounds, and of him grieving for his brother. A fortnight after his return in the middle of the camp he called out the name of his brother and collapse to the ground dead."

~*~

"He is not a Med-jai," an Elder with a bushy dirty-white beard snarled as he waved a crippled hand over to the place where Rick sat in silence. "He is an outsider. He and his family have cause more trouble for us than all of the past 3000 years combined."

"Then how to you explain his tattoo, Harb? If he's not a Med-Jai then how did he get the markings?" A younger Elder with salt and pepper beard and a twinkle in his eyes argued with the older man. "It was those who followed the creature that raised it the second time. And was not he the one who destroyed the Scorpion King and his army?" 

"Ha! If it wasn't for his son, the Scorpion King would not have arisen and our warriors wouldn't have died against its army!" Harb spat, in anger. "Tell me Amin, how many died due to this man?" He exclaimed, pacing the confines of the tent. "And as for his story about Ardeth being captured, how do we know what he says is true? For all we know he could be leading us into another trap."

"I have to agree with Harb." A man with a mustache and goatee added as he watched Harb pace. "This man has caused us nothing but trouble. And now he claims our leader is in danger and that a dream told him. The rest of you may think he is the Wahid, the great lost Med-Jai warrior, but all I see is a useless American who has caused us more pain and suffering than has even been recorded in our history."

"And what of the prophecies, Ghanim?" An Elder with the white eyes of the blind asked as he 'looked' at the man. "They foretold of the arrival of the Wahid during our darkest hours, that he would come. He is a Med-Jai. The tattoo and Ardeth's belief in the man proves it. That he was not born among us is of no importance."

"Of no importance!!" Harb roared at the blind Elder. "Of no importance! He is the source of our dark time! Imhotep, the Scorpion King and now this fable of Ardeth being in danger!"

Rick sat quietly with the Med-Jai from the hotel as the argument between the Elders raged around him. He had stopped paying attention to the Elders long ago as they fought over and over again about his past and whether or not he was a Med-Jai.

"He probably had see the tattoo on a true Med-Jai and had it copied in a drunken fit." Ghanim stated as he eyed the American with contempt.

With a weary sigh Rick rose from his seat and faced the Elders. "I have wasted enough of my time listening to you argue over pointless details as Ardeth waits in danger!" he snarled at the Elders. "If the Med-Jai are unwilling to help me rescue Ardeth, then I'll do it on my own."

"Arrogant American." Harb mumbled loud enough so that it could be heard by all as Rick walked out of the tent the Elders were using. 

Rick marched past the Med-Jai and their tents, walking until the camp was behind him and all that laid in front of him was the shifting sands of the desert. With a weary sigh, he glanced westward towards the setting sun. "A whole day wasted while they bickered like children. Why won't they just listen to me!?!"

"Because they fear you," a voice said from behind him.

Rick spun around, to come face to face with an old Med-Jai woman. Her hair long ago having turned snow white, her face deeply wrinkled, but her eyes still had her furious strength and determination of youth. "Ma'am?" Rick asked in a questioning tone as he looked down at the older lady before him.

Without saying a word the woman grasped his right arm and raised it so that he could see it in the fading light. "They fear you because of who you are and what your represent." She explained as she traced the tattoo with her fingers.

"I don't understand," Rick said sadly as he pulled his sleeve down over the tattoo. "Look, all I want to do is get Ardeth out of the hands of those bastards."

"I know, child," the woman said gently as she patted Rick's arm in a grandmotherly way. "Come with me and I'll get you the help you need," she said as she threaded her arm in his and steered him back to the Elders' tent.

"Why are you helping me?" he asked as she drew him closer to the tent.

The old Med-jai woman smiled up at him as she patted his hand. "I have my reasons young one. Trust me." With that the woman slipped inside the tent.

"Aziza!" A joyous cheer could be heard from inside the tent before Rick went in. "What are you doing here Aziza?" Amin exclaimed as he threw his arms around her and swung her around.

"Put me down you silly boy." Aziza laughed as she grinned like a girl a fraction of her age.

"Aziza," the blind Elder said as he claimed her from Amin. "And for what reasons do one of the Wise Ones visit this humblest of outposts?"

"Dreams, my dear Khalid," She replied sadly as she gave him a quick kiss on the check.

"What do you mean Aziza?" Ghanim asked as he eyed the American evilly. "Has this man be telling you things?" he said with a disgusted look on his face.

"How could he?" Tarig, the young warrior who escorted Rick to the camp said, in anger. "He's been here all day. How could he have contacted the Wise One in our city? How could he have presaged Aziza of all people to come here?"

Aziza's playful loving demeanor dropped from her face, her eyes narrowed as she scolded the men. "No one but Allah control the actions of the Wise Ones. I came here become I dreamed that my grandson was in danger. And that this man," she said, pointing to Rick. "This man would be able to save him."

"Are you saying that Ardeth is in trouble and that this worthless spawn of a mongrel dog and a white bitch is his savior?" Hharb spat in disgust at Rick

Aziza's eyes widened at Harb's words, her nostrils flared in anger. With a few quick steps she was in front of him, her hand raised.

****

SLAP!!

"HOW DARE YOU SPEAK OF ARDETH'S BROTHER IN THAT WAY!!"

"But…but…but…" Harb sputtered as he held his hand to his bruised cheek.

Aziza looked around angrily at the men in the tent waiting for one to disagree with her. "I declare that Rick O'Connell is Ardeth Bay's lost brother and my grandchild." She said in a stately voice that left no room for argument. "The Med-Jai will provide all the help they can to insure that he is able to bring his brother home."

"But Aziza," Ghanim started to say as she turned her cold eyes towards him. He swallowed nervously as he took a small step backwards away from the small, fragile woman. "He's not a Med-Jai." He voice cracked under her gaze.

"He is my grandson!" she stated. "Lost to us years ago. And now he has returned." She walked over to Rick, grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him down so she could look him in the eyes. "Welcome home, my child," she said as she gently kissed his forehead.

As her lips touched him, Rick's knees buckled and he collapsed in front of her, tears running down his face.

~*~

The light from the setting sun bathed the dull brown building of the city blood red as four riders rode towards the city.

"City of Jackals." Muammar mumbled to himself when he caught sight of the city as he brought his camel to a stop.

Rick turned to him, uneasy, as his camel stopped next to Muammar. "What?" 

"You've lead us to a city of slave traders," snarled Nasir as he looked with contempt at the American. "I told you he couldn't be trusted. Aziza's mad with grief over Ardeth."

Ignoring Nasir's outburst Muammar turned to Rick and asked, "Can you still sense your brother? Is he close by?"

Rick closed his eyes, and cocked his head to the side as if listening for something. Rick nodded his head as he watched the city fade to black. "Yes but…" he said as he rubbed his breastbone with the palm of his hand.

"But what, Oh Great Wahid?" Nasir snarled at Rick. "Have you lost you magical powers oh great one?"

Rick opened his eyes with a shake of his head. "I can feel him but I just can't get a direction." He growled in frustration. 

Muammar sighed wearily as he stared at the city before him. "Then we will have to start with the pig," he said, kicking his camel into motion.

"The Pig?" Rick repeated, as he turned to Tarig, confusion written on his face.

Tarig chuckled softly at Rick's' confusion. "It's Muammar's name for Kamal Rashid, the local slave auctioneer."

"Camel shit?!?" Rick said innocently as he kick his camel into motion.

Tarig blinked in surprise befoer letting out a howl of laughter. "Yes! That's what he is!!! We're off to save Ardeth from Camel Shit!"

~*~

Rick leaned against the warm wall of the building, his eyes closed as he listened for Ardeth.

"It's quiet now?" Tarig said as he guarded Rick. "I hope they return soon. This place makes me nervous," he said as he looked out of the alley.

Rick didn't say a word but he cocked his head to the side, his brow furrowed in concentration. "He doesn't know anything," he whispered.

"They're coming," Tarig stated and waved his hand for Rick to come forward.

As they stepped out of the alley Nasir bumped into Rick. "We head south."

"No," Rick said, in a flat, entranced voice; his eyes had a glazed look in them. "Northwest. They are traveling North and West."

The Med-Jai looked at each other, a trace of unease in their eyes at the new way O'Connell was behaving. Nasir licked his lips nervously, "Rashid said they went south."

Rick took a couple of stumbling steps in the direction he indicated they must go before he suddenly collapsed to his hand and knees, his left hand still pressed to his chest.

"O'Connell?" Tarig called out as he knelt next to the man, concern etched on his face.

"I can't..." Rick gasped, his eyes wide with terror. Suddenly he threw his head back. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" 


	3. Screams in the Dark

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights for the Mummy series nor do I make any money off of this fanfic. But I really wish someone would sell the right to Ardeth Bay to me. I would love to have him, to own him to control him. Ok enough of that, its only wishful thinking and lovely daydreams. Bummer!

Bad Author Notes: First of my thanks to Deana and The Bookworm for the jumpstarts I need in this story. Also thanks for returning my Muse after stealing her again Deana. Next I am the Empress of the Twisted Tale so hold on to your seat while I kick this camel into overdrive.

Screams in the Dark

By Lady FoxFire

May 26, 2002

The hands grabbed him. They touched him, stroke him, hurt him and held him down. 

Ardeth struggled against the hands. He bit, kicked and hit against those that hide in the shadows, against those torturous hands.

The hands ripped at his clothes and at his flesh. They tangled in his hair and cruelly yanked.

Two new hands replaced the hands that Ardeth threw off, taking the place in his torture, his humiliation. 

Ardeth screamed out to his god when he felt the cold metal of the manacles bite down upon his flesh. He heard the cheers and jeers of those watching wash over him as a leather collar was wrapped tightly around his neck.

The hands disappeared as someone yanked on his leash. Another harder, crueler yank brought Ardeth to his knees. In front of him stood a tall figure dressed in gray, his face hidden in the shadows. "You belong to me." A voice echoed in his mind

"Ardeth!" a familiar voice called out to him from among the watchers

Ardeth turned in the direction of the voice. There not far from him was O'Connell fighting against a horde of gray warriors, battling his way ever closer towards him.

"Don't lose hope, my brother!" Rick called out as a sudden turn in the fighting pushed him farther away. "I will save you!"

"O'Connell!" Ardeth called out as hope once again filled his body. Once again he struggled against his leash, against those that were trying to possess him. For a brief moment he was able to break free before the hands descended upon him once again, clutching at him, at his flesh, holding him back. 

Ardeth fought against them, only pausing for a moment to glance towards his friend, to find Rick closer.

As the two men drew nearer, something caused Ardeth to look towards his friend. A warrior appeared out of nowhere behind O'Connell; a sword in his hand. "Rick!" he screamed in warning as he watched the gray warrior thrust the blade into his friend's back.

Their eyes locked together, blood dribbling out of Rick's mouth as he spoke. "I'm sorry, my brother." The other warriors gathered around Rick, their swords stained with blood rising and falling into the air, hacking at his body.

"**NOOOOOOOOO!!!"**

Ardeth jerked awake, panting, struggling for breath. His eyes roamed around frantically, still caught in the horror of what he was beginning to realize was just a dream, a nightmare. Slowly his mind pieced together that he was in a tent someplace, lying under a pile of blankets that smelled of camels.

He jumped in surprise as a leather water skin appeared next to him. The lean figure chuckled softly, as he stood just a few steps away, watching the Med-jai's reaction. "Drink your fill, Med-Jai, then go back to sleep. We ride again in the morning," the dark figure said before slipping out of the tent.

Ardeth's bound hands still shook from the effects his dream as he grasped the neck of the water skin. Using his teeth he was able to pry the cork from the skin. Wisely he drank the water slowly, knowing that to gulp the life giving liquid would make him sick. Drinking his fill, Ardeth re-corked the water skin and lay back down, pulling the covers back over himself. He watched the walls of the tent moved as the wind blew around the tent, making the tent appear as if it were breathing. He struggled to keep his eyes open as the siren call of sleep claimed him once again.

"Get up!" A voice growled as Ardeth's blanket was ripped off him. 

With a groan Ardeth sat up and wiped the grit from his eyes. Grabbing the water skin, he took a long gulp of the brackish water as he watched his owner pack the blanket. The man still wore the same grayish brown robes he had on at the market. "Why do you keep your face covered?" Ardeth blurted out without thinking.

The man stopped what he was doing and glared at his prisoner. "I like living," was his only reply before turning back to his work, leaving Ardeth to puzzle out his meaning in silence.

"Take your clothes off."

Ardeth's head snapped up, his mouth opened in surprise. "What? What did you say?"

"I said take your clothes off," Ardeth's owner said as his dark eyes wondered over the warrior's lean, muscular body.

Ardeth pulled his shoulders back; his eyes narrowed as his head rose in defiance. "And if I refuse?" his voice dropped down into a dangerous growl.

"Then you will be very sorry," the master stated, resting his hand on the hilt of his sword. "Remember, my prize, I have all the advantages here."

Ardeth bowed his head in defeat, his hair hiding his face. "Live today, fight tomorrow," he whispered to himself. Ardeth thrust his bound hands towards the man, waiting for him to be untied.

Wearily the man approached the warrior, and with a few tugs the Med-Jai's hands were once again free. The Master stepped back, his eyes watching Ardeth, carefully waiting for the warrior to try something.

"Your clothes," the man commanded, his hands once again resting on his weapons

With a shiver Ardeth peeled off what was left of his dirt and blood strained robes, trying not to show any outwards signs of his fear and self-loathing as he removed his boots and pants. Silently he prayed to Allah that he wouldn't be forced to remove the rest of his clothing as he stood there with only his loincloth on.

His body tensed under the gaze of the Master's eyes as they wondered up and down his slave's lean, sculpted body. Ardeth could hear the man's breath catch as he enjoyed the view of his nearly naked warrior. "Sit down," he ordered, with some difficulty.

Ardeth reluctantly lowered himself back onto his sleeping pallet, his eyes glaring at his owner with hate and disgust. His body tensed as he watched the man walked over, towering over him. He closed his eyes tight in disgust as his master's hand brushed gently against his check. 

"So beautiful," the man murmured. 

He felt the man walk behind him, and a shiver raced through his body as his owner gathered his long black hair in his hands and pulled it over to one side, letting it spill down his shoulder. It took all of Ardeth's will to stop himself from jerking away as a hand stoked the top of his head.

"Lean forward," the man commanded as he brushed aside a few loose strands of hair.

Gritting his teeth, Ardeth obeyed his master, dreading what was to come. He stopped when his owner grabbed his shoulder. "That's far enough," he said as he pulled him back a few inches. "Perfect," he purred to himself as his fingers trailed across Ardeth's shoulder and over his neck.

Ardeth bit his lip as he felt the man's hands touching him, exploring his arms, his neck and his back. He shivered when he felt the warm breath on the back of his neck.

"Argh," he hissed through clenched teeth when the Master prodded one of his wounds. 

"This one is infected," the man said more for his benefit than for his slave's. "It will need to be cleaned." 

Ardeth turned his head to look over his shoulder just enough to see the man in the corner of his eye. His eyes conveyed his confusion and a spark of hope

"What did you expect?" his master explains as started to work on the infected wound. "I paid a small fortune for you, my Med-Jai, and I'm not about to let you die on me from a stupid infection." He worked in silence as Ardeth clenched and unclenched his hands, hiding the waves of pain from his treatment.

"A couple of these I'll have to watch," his master said as he moved from behind him. "Lay down." Once Ardeth was on his back, the man began his slow but thorough examination of the rest of his body. "I would hate to see the rest of their merchandise if you are any indication of how they treat the others. I doubt that many would last a fortnight."

"I believe I was a special case," Ardeth mumbled as he squeezed his eyes shut. He tensed once again as he felt the man's hands explore his body, searching for injuries. He could feel the bile rise up in the back of his throat as he felt the hands linger in places.

After the man had probed and treated a number of wounds he stood up and walked away from where Ardeth lay. "Get dressed," he ordered as he threw some grayish brown clothes at him. 

Gingerly Ardeth began to dress, hissing occasionally when his movements pulled on his injuries.

Out of the corner of his eyes Ardeth was able to watch as his owner gathered up the last remaining items, however Ardeth noticed that he missed a few pieces of the remains of Ardeth's black clothing. "Out," he commanded with a nod of his head.

Stumbling out of the tent, Ardeth was met by the early morning light, the temperature just beginning to rise. "There's food by the fire. Eat your fill. We won't be stopping till just before nightfall," the master explained as he started to dismantle the tent, packing it away for the camels. Hobbling over to the fire, Ardeth knelt down next to a small pot full of a brownish white gruel, which was left to cool.

The nosily growls from his stomach was the final deciding point as Ardeth dug into the disgusting looking mixture. He eyed the gruel dubiously before shoveling a spoonful of the paste like subsistence into his mouth.

He tried to hold in a grimace, but was far from successful. 'Gruel' was the perfect word to describe the concoction in his hands. But it was either eat it or starve, so he forces himself to eat as much of it as he could. As he stripped the last of the gruel out of the bowl, he found the man a few feet away from him, watching him eat. 

"Can you cook?" the man asked, his hand out for the bowl.

Ardeth looked down at the bowl then back up at his owner. "Better than you can if that was an indication of your abilities." 

The master chuckled in surprise. "Good. Perhaps I'll let you cook when you're healed a bit more," he replied as he cleaned the bowl in the sand. "It's time to go, my prize," he said with a nod towards the camel. 

Climbing to his feet, Ardeth growled, "My name is Ardeth Bay."

His master's eyes narrowed as he stared at his slave. "Your name **was** Ardeth Bay when you were a free man. But you belong to me now and I will call you whatever I please. And right now it pleases me to call you my prize." 

~*~

Ardeth was awakened in the same manner the next morning.

"Take your clothes off."

Gritting his teeth, Ardeth underwent the same humiliating processed from yesterday. His lips curled back in a snarl as he felt the man's hands once again on his body. He shook under the effort it took not to attack and beat this man for the humiliation he endured.

"Once you're dressed come outside," the man said as he walked out of the tent.

They started off in the direction of Libya, after a meal of gruel.

"You dreamt again last night," the master stated as he rode next to the Med-Jai. "You kept calling out one name. O'Connell. It was the same name from the night before."

Ardeth keep his eyes on the horizon never allowing his face to betray any emotion.

"Who is this O'Connell? From your moans and cries at night, this person is very important to you." His eyes twinkled with an evil glee from behind his scarf. "Is this person male or female?"

Ardeth keeps his jaw clenched tight as his master continued his probing questions. "Come, my prize, answer my question. Is this O'Connell a man or a woman?" He asked, bringing his camel closer to Ardeth's, their legs bumping as they rode side by side.

Ardeth's nostril's flared in anger as the man continued to press him for answers. "Perhaps you are ashamed of your relationship with this O'Connell and that is why you do not answer." Out of the corner of his eye, Ardeth can see his owner watching him, studying his reaction to the questions.

"Every night when you wake you are drenched in sweat, breathing like you had raced for your life and lost. Every night you scream out that name." The master said to himself as he worked out what he knew about his slave. "No, O'Connell is not a woman. A man. Someone you have fought side by side with. Someone you trust to guard your back, to guard your life and your soul. An English man or perhaps an American. He must be a strong warrior to be befriended by a Med-Jai. Or is there more than just friendship?" The master cooed as he watched his captive closely. "Maybe this man is your soul mate. Your lover?"

"NO!" Ardeth spat out with a vengeance turning in his seat to glare at the man. 

"Finally my prize speaks!!!" The master threw back his head; his laughter filled the air. "So he is not your lover but I can tell you this, my prize, this O'Connell holds a special place in your heart and in your soul. A very special place indeed."

Silence descended between the two men as they rode, both lost in their own thoughts. "Rick? The first night you call out for a Rick," the master suddenly spoke, urging his camel closer to Ardeth's once again. "Would your friend be a Rick O'Connell, Richard O'Connell?" The master grabbed Ardeth's arm, forcing him to look at him, demanding an answer.

Ardeth's eyes narrowed as the hand on his arm tighten. "He's a tall khawaaga, with light-hair and bluish green eyes. A taste for dynamite and for guns." The man's eyes studied Ardeth for a reaction to his description of Rick. "And a tattoo, a tattoo on his right wrist. Yes." The master hissed as Ardeth's body unconsciously betrayed his friend, giving this man his answers he seeks. "Richard O'Connell," He repeated as he released the Med-jai's arm and moved his camel farther away. "A name I haven't heard in years." 

"Rick O'Connell." The name rolled off the man's tongue, as he tasted the name in pleasure. "I still had many things left to break in that man before he left me." The man turned towards Ardeth. "Perhaps, my Med-Jai, he will return to me. Perhaps your calling to him will bring him back to me once again."

Ardeth's eyes widened at the words from this man, and he watched as his Master spurred his camel slightly ahead of him. His evil laughter echoed in the Med-Jai's ears. Grinding his teeth together, his hatred for this man renewed, Ardeth glared at the back of the man's head, his hands clenching and unclenching as he tried to hide the hatred he felt toward this man, toward the man that had hurt his friend before and wants to again.

The Master turned slightly, looking over his shoulder at his slave. Seeing the muscle twitch in Ardeth's jaw and the hatred in his eyes, the man chuckled even more. "I wonder what I can break in you, my Med-Jai. Perhaps I will break your pride. That was one thing he would never let me break in him," he said as before turning his back on Ardeth.

A determined look entered Ardeth's eyes as he glared at the man who rode ahead of him. With a barely perceived nod of his head in determination, Ardeth turned his attention to the leather strap that bound his hands together.

~*~

Ardeth knelt in the cooling desert sand; a blank look on his face and in his eyes, as his owner piled dried animal dung for a fire. "If we ride hard tomorrow will we be at our goal," the master said, breaking the silence that had fallen since their discussion about O'Connell. "I'll be able to deal with you better there."

The master continued his work, never noticing as Ardeth slowly began to unwind the leather strap from his wrists. Wrapping the strap around his hands, Ardeth allowed his eyes to roam over to the man, waiting for just the right moment.

Suddenly he sprang into action; slipping the leather strap over the man's head and around his neck. Ardeth leaned back; pulling the strap tight against the man's throat, his knee in the middle of the man's back pushing him tighter into the strap.

The man's hands clawed desperately at his throat, fighting against Ardeth as he tried to draw in a breath. Suddenly the man's right arm reached back and grasped Ardeth's leg, his finger's digging into Ardeth's half-healed wounds.

Ardeth gasped in pain as the fingers dug deeper into his flesh. "Fa'inn ma'Habba 'Allah!" Ardeth cried out as pain laced through his body. His grasp on the strap loosened enough that his owner was able to slip his fingers under the piece of leather and pull it away from his throat enough to allow him to breathe.

"Bastard!" the Master cursed in a horsed voice as he renewed his struggles against the Med-Jai. Realizing what the man was doing Ardeth tightened his grip on the leather trying to pull it tight once again.

As Ardeth struggled to twist the strap even tighter, to his amazement, the lean body struggling against his chest suddenly spun around, twisting the leather tighter; but as the Master's body came around, one knee smashed with manic strength right into Ardeth's groin.

Ardeth's scream echoed across the desert as his owner's knee collided with Ardeth's manhood. His eyes rolled up into his head as his body twitched in pain before collapsing onto his side. Ripping the leather strap from his throat, the Master gasped for breath as he stared evilly down at the Med-jai who had curled up in a ball.

Struggling to his feet, the Master rubbed his hand over his sore neck. "God damn bastard after all I've done for you," he cursed as he used his foot to kick Ardeth onto his back. He pried Ardeth's hands away from were they protectively cupped his injured manhood. Retying Ardeth's hands together once again yanking the strap cruelly, he growled "And you fight like one of those pampered sissy British lords!"

"At least I fight with honor," Ardeth was able to cough out around the pain as he curled back into a ball again.

"To hell with honor," the Master said as he glared down at the Med-Jai. "I was fighting for my life." The master stumbled away from Ardeth, allowing him to stay curled around his hurt as the black curtain of night fell upon the camp.

~*~

Ardeth woke with a start; a hand covering his mouth. "Quiet. We have company," his master whispered in his ear. "I think you'll enjoy their company less than mine," he explained as he busily untied his slave.

" Understand this Med-Jai." The hilt of a knife was suddenly pressed into Ardeth's hand. "I will kill you myself before I allow them to possess you."

~*~*~*~

Khawaaga - foreigner

Fa'inn ma'Habba 'Allah - For the love of Allah


	4. Damaged Goods

Disclaimer: You know the drill. I don't own the Mummy series nor any of the handsome characters. **sigh** But a girl can dream.

Bad Author Notes: I'm a bad girl. A very bad girl.

Damaged Goods

By Lady FoxFire

June 29, 2002

"O'Connell!" Tarig called out to the American. "I've found something."

Leaving the remains of the campsite, Rick hurried over to Tarig's side. "Christ!" he exclaimed as a swarm of flies ascend into the air. Next to where Tarig knelt, lay the remains of two men; their gray robes stained with blood

"How long?" Rick as in a soft voice as he studied the remains.

"Day and a half, two at the most. My guess would be around the time of your attack." Tarig replied as he pulled the body of a longhaired man on to his back. "YAHA!!" He exclaimed as he fell back in surprise

"SHIT!" Rick exclaimed as he looked at the familiar face of the dead man. His dark brown eyes stared up accusingly at Rick, as the maggots crawled out of his opened mouth and over his bearded chin. "For a moment…" Rick whispered, shaken.

"Aywa," Tarig agreed with Rick as he struggled to his feet. "He looks…"

"Yeah. But he's not," Rick said in relief as he pried his eyes away from the remains of a man who looked so much like his brother, so much like Ardeth. "Who do you think they were?" he asked turning his back on the dead.

Tarig shrugged. "Bandits. Slavers. Someone who lost at the auction," he explained. "A Med-Jai warrior would have been a hard prize to lose." Silence settled between the two men as they walked towards the abandoned campsite. 

Muammar and Nasir arrived at the deserted campsite moment before them. 

"We found two bodies over there," Nasir said with a nod in the direction the two Med-Jai had came from, his lips snarled back with disdain as he glanced over at O'Connell. "Ardeth wasn't among the dead, unlike your dire prediction, American." 

"I never said Ardeth was dead," Rick growled at the beefy Med-Jai as he unconsciously rubbed the palm of his hand against his breastbone. "I said that something had changed. And obviously it did," he said with a wave towards the dead

"Enough bickering; we have more important things to worry about." Muammar command as he stepped between O'Connell and Nasir. "When we turned over one of the men, we found this underneath him," Muammar said as he held up a hilt of a knife. "It may lead us to whoever has Ardeth."

"Can I see that?" Rick asked with a strange look in his eyes. Taking the knife hilt, he turned it around in his hands, studying it intently. "I need to see the other bodies," he said as he suddenly started off in the direction Nasir had indicated. "I need to be sure." 

"I told you Ardeth wasn't among the dead," Nasir said in an annoyed tone.

Muammar stared at Rick as he walked away before hurrying after him. Grabbing Rick by the arm, Muammar spun him around to face him. "O'Connell, what is it? You look as if Imhotep has arisen once again!"

"I…I…this knife." Rick held up the broken knife hilt, his eyes wide with fear. "The last time I saw a knife hilt like this…" Rick licked his lips nervously. "That person is dead, I saw what was left. There's no way they could be alive. Unless…"

"Unless what?" Tarig asked in confusion as he walked up beside Rick. 

"Unless it wasn't who I thought it was," Rick said cryptically. "I mean the body was the same height, same hair color but the face…. the face was gone. I was so sure." Rick stared down at the knife in his hand. "And if I was wrong… then Ardeth is in more trouble than I thought." Rick left the Med-Jai standing there lost in their thoughts and concerns for their leader.

Rick flipped the body over with his boot. "Shit," he exclaimed as the flies settle back on the bodies. "Shit! Shit! Shit!" he said as he stormed past the Med-Jai towards the camels.

"I take it the person you're looking for isn't here," Nasir said with his arms crossed over his chest, glaring once again at Rick. "After you drama in the city, I expected you to find Ardeth among the dead."

Rick turned and with one move sent Nasir flying back with a punch to his jaw. "If I didn't need your sorry ass I would have left you behind long ago!" His hands clenched tight wanting too rip into Nasir again. "I'm sick of your snide comments and your 'holier than thou' attitude."

Muammar stepped in between Rick and Nasir as he sat on the ground nursing his jaw glaring evilly. "O'Connell," he said softly as if he was trying to soothe a wild horse. "Rick, tell me about the owner of the knife."

O'Connell licked his lips nervously. "The owner went by the name Fennec. We used to run together before I joined the Foreign Legion." Rick ran a hand over his face. "There was a plane accident. No survivors."

Silence settled upon the men as the Med-Jai watched O'Connell carefully. Clearing his throat nervously Tarig spoke up. "O'Connell can you still feel Ardeth? Can you still locate Ardeth?" 

"Yes," Rick said as he climbed on his camel. Looking around, he tried to locate a landmark in the sea of sand. "Where are we? I know you said that it was the city of jackals."

"Thamaniyat Ajras," Muammar replied as he climbed onto his camel. "Its real name is Thamaniyat Ajras. We're about three days from Al Qubbah al Kabirah," he explained pointing in a northeast direction.

Rick chewed on his bottom lip; his eyes closed in concentration. Suddenly his eyes snapped open. "I know where they're at," he said as he kicked his camel into motion, heading northwest.

"What? Why are we going this way?" Nasir blurted out. "These nothing in that direction for days but sand and rocks."

O'Connell turned in his seat and smiled knowingly at Nasir. "You're wrong. There's more than that out there. To be exact there's a hidden oasis about a day away from us. That's where we will find them," he explained as he turned forward in his seat

"And how, oh Great Wahid, do you know that?" Nasir snarled, his voice dripping with venom

"That's my secret Nasir," Rick answered, with a smirk on his face. "Besides, I also know how to force Fennec to give us Ardeth."

~*~

Rick silently slipped into the tent. "Ardeth?" he whispered as he waited for his eyes to adjust to the dim light inside the tent. He soon spotted Ardeth sleeping just a few feet from him underneath a pile of blankets.

"Ardeth?" he called once again as he knelt next to the sleeping Med-Jai. Brushing the hair out of Ardeth's face, Rick studied the bruised features of his friend. His face was marred with fading bruises, and a bloody bandage covered his forehead. "Damn it Ardeth! What did they do to you?" 

Gently, Rick grabbed his shoulder and gave him a small shake. "Ardeth, time to wake up, old buddy. Come on open your eyes." Rick tried shaking him a little harder. "Come on Ardeth, wake up! Evy is reading from the Black Book again!" 

Ardeth moaned softly, his eyes opening halfway. "Rick?" he said caught halfway between the real world and that of his nightmares. His bound hands reached up to grasp O'Connell's wrist.

Rick's face broke out in a grin. "Yeah it's me. Come on, let's get you out of here." He said as he untied Ardeth's hands.

"Rick!" Ardeth hissed as he woke up completely. "We have to get out of here before he finds you! He was going to use me to draw you to him; planned to use me as bait. He said he wants you back, wants to finish breaking you!"

Rick chucked softly. "Don't worry about that Ardeth. Right now lets get you up and moving."

"How did you find us? How did you defeat him? I saw him fight, he fights like a Med-Jai." Everything rushed out of Ardeth at once.

"Ardeth," Rick said softly his eyes sliding from his friend's face to the ground. "I hate to tell you but you're not exactly free. At least not yet."

Ardeth's eyes widened at his friend in reaction to his words. "What do you mean?" he growled at Rick as he grabbed his arm roughly. "What have you done O'Connell?"

"Nasir's going to fight for you," Rick said, looking up at his friend, his eyes cold and voice firm. "If he wins then you're free."

"And if he loses?" Ardeth asked in a soft voice.

Rick just looked at him. That was all the answer Ardeth needed.

"Come on, you might as well wait to see who your new owner is," Rick said, standing and pulling Ardeth with him. "Lean on me," he whispered, wrapping an arm around Ardeth when his knees buckled beneath him. Slowly the two men hobbled out of the tent.

"Ardeth!" Tarig said, in surprise as he saw Ardeth leaning heavily against the American. The bruises he had received at the slaver's hands stood out sharply against his dark skin. "What did you do to him?" The young Med-Jai growled as he turned back to the Master with hatred in his eyes.

"I kept him alive," the master growled back, as he dropped into a combative stance, waiting for the Med-Jai to make his move.

"Tarig," O'Connell snarled at the young Med-Jai. "Back off _right_ now!" Leading Ardeth over to a shady spot, Rick turned to the Master. "Fennec I think we deserve an explanation. Some of these wounds are fresh."

The man glared at O'Connell, his eyes cold and deadly. "What do you _think_ happened _Richard_? We were attacked," Fennec snarled. His voice was cold, hard as steel and as deadly as an Asp. "I _thought _you knew me better than that, O'Connell. I thought you know how I treat my _prizes_." 

"Ardeth is _not_ someone's prize!" Tarig snarled at Fennec, his hand resting on his weapons.

The Master snorted at Tarig's reaction before turning back towards Rick and his prize. "He reminds me a bit of you, O'Connell, before I broke that bad habit out of you." Fennec said with a nod towards the young Med-Jai.

"Leave O'Connell out of this," Ardeth said as he struggled to his feet. "This concerns only you and me," Ardeth said, swaying on his feet.

"Sit down, my prize, before you _fall_ down." Fennec chuckled softly at the Med-Jai defense of the American. "If I remember right we agreed to first blood, no death blows allowed," he said pulling his sword free from the sheath. "Does your champion agree with this?"

"O'Connell?" Ardeth hissed with concern as he gripped Rick's arm.

"I have no problems with this," Nasir pulled his sword free and took a few steps into the clearing to face Ardeth's master. "But know this, slaver, you will lose," Nasir growled with confidence.

"We shall see," Fennec simply said, as he settled into position, his scimitar in his hands.

As the others settled in the shade to watch the combat, the two warriors slowly circled each other, taking stock of the other.

"Don't lose, Nasir," Muammar whispered to his brother Med-Jai, as he stood next to the younger warrior. Stepping between the two men, he said, "This is a battle of honor, a test of skill. The first warrior to draw blood without seriously harming the other will be the champion. Is this understood?" Both men nodded. Stepping out of their way, Muammar shouted, "Begin!"

The sound of steel clashing against steel rang out through the hidden oasis as the two warriors attacked each other. As suddenly as the battle began the warriors back off a bit, once again eyeing each other, judging their opponent.

"Bad leg, Med-Jai?" The Master said with a smirk in his voice. "You seem to favor you left leg. Old injury?"

"Bad face?" Nasir replied, with a smirk. "Why else do you keep it covered?" 

"My, my, my. Such razor wit," Fennec said with a chuckle. "I shall undoubtedly bleed to death from your razor sharp tongue since you're so slow with the blade."

Nasir eyes widened at the insult before attacking once again, driving the Master into a furious defense.

"Nasir will lose," O'Connell said with confidence as he sat next to Ardeth. "He has no chance in hell of winning." His eyes glittered madly as he watch the battle.

"What!!!" Ardeth sputtered as he stared in shock at his friend.

"O'Connell you said this was the only way to free Ardeth," Tarig said, in fear for his leader's safety.

"I lied." Rick simply said, as he smiled evilly watching the two combatants fight. "I wanted to see Fennec destroy Nasir for all the shit he's put me through these past few days." He glanced over at Ardeth. "Don't worry, my brother, you'll come to understand your master's mind soon enough," he said with an insane look bubbling up in his eyes.

"Rick," Ardeth said, grabbing his friend's arm. His eyes were filled with fear and confusion at O'Connell's words and attitude.

O'Connell's face softened, his evil grin changed into a kind smile as he realized the fear his brother felt. "Don't worry Ardeth, everything will be fine. You just have to trust me on this," he said before turning back to the battle.

Muammar and Tarig shared a look of concern. "He's insane, the dreams must have broken his mind," Tarig whispered grabbing a hold of Ardeth's arm. "When the battle is over we'll escape."

"No," Ardeth whispered back as he watched O'Connell enjoy the fight between the two warriors. "I trust O'Connell."

"Do you trust him with your life?" Muammar whispered to Ardeth.

Ardeth nods his head. "I trust him with my life, and with my soul."

Both warriors were breathing heavily as they paced around each other after a fiery battle, in which neither was able to gain any ground. "I thought you brought me someone to fight against, O'Connell, not someone to teach." The Master called out never taking his eyes of the large Med-Jai warrior.

Nasir growled at his words. "I will teach you, _kelb_!" he shouted, as he attacked once again. Nasir's furious attack drove the master back with each mighty blow. He forced Fennec back further and further around their battlefield, his blows stronger and angrier, each time forcing the Master to defend himself.

The battle soon brought them in front of the audience. "Rick?" Fennec sang out in a softer singsong voice as he ducked under a slash from Nasir.

"Destroy him," Rick snarled with angry glee as he climbed on his hands and knees, his eyes wide with joy as he watched the warrior. "Teach him his place."

"With pleasure!" Fennec hissed back evilly as he switched from defense to offence. His sword danced in the light as he forced the Med-Jai back. 

Nasir was soon on the defense as his victory vanished like a mirage in the desert. A sudden flash of light off Fennec's sword blinded Nasir for a moment, causing him to stumble to the ground. His eyes opened to find his opponent a few steps from him, waiting.

"Get up, _kelb,_ and face me as a warrior." Fennec said as he looked down at the Med-Jai on the ground. "Or does your leader matter so little to you?"

Nasir scrambled to his feet, sword in his hand. His face twisted with hate at being made a mockery of. "You're letting your emotions cloud your judgment, Nasir. Didn't your teacher school you in keeping your temper in check during a battle?" Fennec called out, teasing the Med-Jai.

Nasir took a shuddering breath as his eyes narrowed with a grim determination. "You will play for that insult!" He growled as he attacked once again but instead of pushing his opponent back, Fennec stood his ground.

"Much better, Nasir. But you still lead too much with your right, it may cause you trouble later." Fennec explains in a patient tone as he found fault with the Med-Jai's fighting style. "You really need to work on that."

"Stop torturing him Fennec and just finished him off! I'm hungry," Rick called off from the sideline, with a bored expression on his face.

"You're always hungry Richard! As long as you're not doing the cooking, I don't believe my prize could survive the slop you call food," the master said as he drove Nasir back a step. 

O'Connell snorted at the comment. "I'm a great cook. Anyway I was thinking of having Tarig do the cooking, he's a hell of a lot better than you."

"Well, as long as you're not cooking your specialty," Fennec commented driving Nasir towards the others. "First blood," he suddenly said in a bored voice stepping back from Nasir. The Med-jai stared down at the scratch on his hand, a single drop of blood oozed out.

Sheathing his scimitar, Fennec walked over to where Rick sat on the ground smiling like a maniac. "Why?" His voice broke as he looked down at O'Connell. "Why did you leave me?"

The smile on O'Connell's face failed as he gazed up into those broken brown eyes. Climbing to his feet Rick reached out and gently stroked Fennec's check through the fabric hiding his face. "I thought you were dead. I saw the body, the papers. Everything you had with you on that flight. There was no reason for me to doubt that the body they claimed was yours, wasn't."

Fennec shook his head no. "A thief. Everything I had was stolen, I sent you a telegram."

"I never received it. After your funereal I join the Foreign Legion to forget," Rick said sadly, a tear running down his face as he remembered those lonely days. "But I never forgot. And you're here now and I'm not letting you get away. You don't need this anymore," he said as he pulled the scarf from Fennec's face.

Tarig's eyes widened as he stared at the face of Fennec. "You're...you're…you're a girl!"

Tarig's simple statement broke the spell over them causing Fennec to collapse against O'Connell giggling as the Med-Jai looked on. Wrapping his arms around her, Rick pulled her to his chest. "I missed you," he said softy as he kissed the top of her head.

"I searched for you. I even found what fort you were stationed at but when…" she said with tears in her voice as she clutched him to her, almost afraid that he'd vanish like a puff of smoke if she let him go.

"We were marching into Egypt," O'Connell finished. "But I'm here now and I'm not letting you go, Aeryn."

The woman sighed contentedly, against his chest. Arching her neck back so she could look O'Connell in the eye, she said, "So who's the real owner of my prize?" she asked as she grinned like a Cheshire cat at him.

Rick eyes sparkled as he chuckled. "His grandmother." 

"His grandmother?" she said in disbelief, stepping back as far as O'Connell's arms would allow her.

A hearty laugh escaped O'Connell's lips. "Do you remember Sister Mary Margate?"

A curious look passed over Fennec's face. "Yes," she said wearily.

"Aziza, Ardeth's grandmother, is worse."

"WORSE?!" Fennec gasped. "Worse than the Holy Sister from Hell?!?!" Rick nodded his head as he grinned like an idiot. "Damn!" Fennec whispered in awe turning her attention to where the injured Med-Jai sat. "Ardeth are you sure you want to go back? You could always travel the world with me." She asked.

"Hey! I promised his grandmother that I would return him," Rick argueed as the Med-Jai looked on in confusion as they began to fight.

"Hay is for horses and you know that," Fennec said pulling out of his grasp. "Anyway it's his choice."

"Oh no, it isn't," O'Connell said, glaring down at her his fists on his hips. "No way I'm returning to camp without him."

"Since when did he become your propriety?" Fennec asked, glaring back at Rick in defiance.

Rick opened his mouth to comment, his index finger raise at her when a shrill noise sounded in the oasis. All eyes looked to the source in confusion, all eyes turned towards Muammar.

"Now that I have your attention, I want some answer before you two decide to kill each other." Muammar said in a voice that he uses to break up fights among his children. "To start with, who are you?" He said glaring at the Master.

The woman grinned at Muammar as she gave a little bow to him, her eyes never leaving his face. "Aeryn McKnight. Better know as Fennec. Also present owner of Ardeth Bay," she said with a wink to Ardeth.

"Aeryn," O'Connell groaned at her antics. "Behave."

"Why?" Ardeth said so softy that they almost didn't hear it.

"Ardeth?" Tarig said, laying a hand on his leader's shoulder.

A shudder ran through Ardeth's body. Swallowing nervously, he looked up at the woman that held him captive for the past five days; the person who ordered him to strip, who watched him and touched him. The person that he fought against and who protected him from his enemy. "Why? Why did you do it?"

Fennec turned away from him, from his question, and hugged herself. "Aeryn," Rick said softly to her back, his hands resting on her shoulders.

She shrugged them off and started to walk away. "He needs his bandages checked," she told them as she walked off. "I'm dirty, I'm going to take a bath."

O'Connell closed his eyes, his head bowed as she walked in to the brush and out of sight. The Med-Jai looked on in confusion. "O'Connell?" Ardeth said as he struggled to his feet. "Rick?"

"When we were kids…" Rick's voice trailed off as he stared at the ground, his boot kicking up dirt. "We were running around Cairo at the time. She was a beauty even at such a young age." Rick licked his lips nervously at what his memory brought up. "I tried to defend her but I was just a kid. I don't know what would've happened if he hadn't shown up. He died defending her. Protecting both of us. She swore a life debt to him. I don't know if he was Med-Jai or not. She'll never break a promise."

~*~

The sun was painting the evening sky with color as Tarig helped a yawning Ardeth out of the tent and over to the fire. Sinking gratefully on a pile of blankets near the fire, Ardeth let out a sigh.

"Feeling better?" Muammar said handing their leader a bowl of stew and a piece of flat bread.

"Aywa, shukran," Ardeth said before digging into the bowl. "Much better than her cooking," he mumbled around a mouthful of food. 

Ardeth suddenly looked around for O'Connell and the woman in question. Swallowing, he asked, "Where is O'Connell and that woman?"

The others shared a look between themselves over Ardeth's head. Muammar was the first to speak. "They are out…talking," he said uncomfortably, not looking at Ardeth.

"Talking?" Ardeth replied noticing the way his Med-Jai were acting

Nasir snorted in disbelief. "How he was acting when he saw her I doubt they're _talking_."

"You can't expect the Med-Jai to pay that amount to get Ardeth back!" Rick's voice floated through the air.

"Why not?" Fennec replied. "It's a fair amount."

"It's insulting," Rick exclaimed, as the sound of their voices came closer to the campsite.

"Why? Why is it insulting?" Her voice came from behind the shrub. "I had to double my asking price when he tried to kill me."

"He tried to WHAT?!?" Rick roared as he walked into the campsite. Fennec was riding on his back, her arms and legs entwined around his body. 

Slowly she unwounded herself and slid down O'Connell's back as Rick glared at his friend. "Rick," she cooed to him. "Settle down. All he tried to do was strangle me."

O'Connell's mouth opened, then closed, opened, then closed, like a fish out of water as he stared at the woman at his side, than over to his brother. "Strangled? You tried to strangle her?" He growled as he started to march towards Ardeth.

Ardeth scooted back, in fear. He had never seen O'Connell this enraged before. "I was trying to escape, O'Connell! I would never have harmed her if I knew she was a woman."

"Now settle down Rick," Fennec said as she stood in O'Connell's way, trying to calm him down, when Ardeth's words suddenly dawned on her. "What do you mean by that? Do think that just cause I'm a woman I can't defend myself?" She snarled as she spun around to face Ardeth.

"I did not say that," Ardeth sputtered as he faced this she-demon.

"Oh yes you did, Ardeth," Rick said with an evil glint in his eyes as he watched his friend twitch under Fennec's merciless gaze. "You just said that you wouldn't have fought a warrior if you had know she was female."

"Let me see if I understand you," Fennec knelt in from of Ardeth, her gaze pinning him to that spot. "Because I am a female, you would not have tried to escape from me. I could have done horrible things to you and you would have remain my willing slave."

"I would still have tried to escape," Ardeth replied swallowing nervously. "But I would not have tried to harm you."

"So if you could not escape without hurting me, then you would have willingly suffered whatever torments I inflicted on you!" Fennec cooed in pleasure.

"Aeryn, back off," O'Connell said with a chuckle. "After all, what fun is it to torture the injured?"

Fennec looked up at O'Connell with a pouting face. "Only for you, Rick. Only for you." Turning back to Ardeth, she said, "But this is not over yet, Med-Jai." 

Fennec stood up and stretched, her arms rising about her head, purring with cat-like pleasure. "Now where were we, Rick?" She asked innocently after she finished stretching.

"I was telling you that you can't charge the Med-Jai that amount for Ardeth. It's insulting," Rick said as he went back to arguing with Fennec.

"And why not?" Fennec said taking a bowl of stew from Muammar. "After all, he's damaged goods."

The Med-Jai looked back and forth between the two khawaaga. "How much is she asking for me?" Ardeth asked, a trace of dread in his voice.

"One pound," Fennec said sweetly, as she ate her stew. "After all, you're damaged goods."

~*~

Kelb - dog

Khawaaga - foreigner

"Uskut!" it means, "Be silent!"

Aywa, shukran - Yes, Thank you

Aywa - yes

Rashim - stupid


	5. What Did You Just Say?

Disclaimer: I do not own the Mummy series nor do I make any money off this fic. But I wish I did. How I wish Ardeth was my slave.

Bad Author Notes: Sorry it took so long getting this chapter out, I ended up with a bad case of writer's block. I had a bad time with Ardeth and Fennec and it took a while to get it straighten out.

What Did You Just Say?

By Lady FoxFire

Nov 15, 2002

"Bar! Wait for me!" A young girl called out as she raced after a skinny blond-haired boy through the markets of Cairo. "Slow down Bar!"

She ran after the boy down the back streets and alleys; never gaining on him yet never falling behind. "Wait up for me you abit!" she yelled as he ran up through the gate of a modest home on the edge of a European neighborhood and ducked inside the house.

"QubTan is going to be mad at you Bar. You know he doesn't allow us to run inside," the girl said in a prissy voice as she walked in.

"QubTan? Bar?" she called out in a panic as the room suddenly changed from early morning to the dark of night. The usually orderly home appeared as if a tornado had raged through it. Furniture was upset, painting was torn from the walls, and books had been thrown from their shelves.

"QubTan? Bar? Where are you?" The girl's voice broke as she wondered from room to room viewing the destruction, in search for her friends.

"QubTan?" she whispered when she saw a figure sitting in his favorite chair in the dark. "Is that you?" she asked, striking a match. 

The room was suddenly aglow with light from something then her match. In the chair sat QubTan, her Captain, his head tilted to once side, his mouth slightly open. His eyes were wide open, in surprise. But the most disturbing thing of all was the front of his shirt. 

A thin stream of blood slowly caressed it's way down his neck from the gaping wound across his throat, staining his shirt red with fresh blood and a deep brown color as it dried.

A voice came out of QubTan's mouth. "_One of soul bought in blood and gold…two of blood, death did part…join in battle and in honor…what was past will come to battle…bird of death to bird of air…life of all in the balance.._." 

"Guard him well my little thief. Remember all my training."

The strange glow suddenly erupted into flames. The fire whipped its way across the room, consuming everything it touched. The searing heat caused the papers to catch fire as they fluttered in the air like wounded birds.

The flames continued to creep along the floor towards the old man's body, slowly engulfing it. The smell of burning flesh filled the room as the fire crackled merrily.

The flames danced around the girl, drawing closer and closer. "You can not save him, little thief. He will die!" a demon voice from the flames crackled as it surged towards the child.

~*~

"A pound," Ardeth mumbled to himself as he sat next to the fire. "She's selling me for a pound."

O'Connell did nothing to hide the smirk on his face as he watched his friend mumbling to himself over and over again. "Maybe if you try to kill her again she'll raise it to two pounds," Rick suggested.

Ardeth turned slowly, towards where Rick sat with a silly grin on his face. "You're not helping," he growled as he tried not to grin.

"BAR!!!" Fennec screamed, in a blind panic from her tent. "BAR! HELP ME!!!"

O'Connell was on his feet and racing for the tent before the echo had faded. 

"BAR, HELP ME!! THE FLAMES!!!"

Ardeth flew inside the tent to find his brother wrapping his arms around the woman as she thrashed in her sleep, trapped in her nightmare. 

"Aeryn? Wake up Aeryn, it's just a nightmare," Rick said as he stroked her hair.

With a shudder, she opened her tear-filled eyes. "Bar," she whispered, before wrapping her arms around him and crying into his shoulder.

"Shhhhhh," O'Connell whispered into her hair, as he rocked Fennec in his arms. "Shhhhhh. It was just a dream, just a dream."

Fennec gulped back tears. "I saw the captain, and the house…the fire..." she explained in a shaky voice as she clutched at Rick's clothing.

"It's alright Aeryn, it's alright." Rick nodded to Ardeth that everything was fine and that he could go, as he continued to hold Fennec and try to comfort her.

Ardeth slipped out of the tent to find his warriors standing nearby, weapons in hand. "A nightmare," he explained. "My _Master_ was having a nightmare."

"O'Connell?" Nasir asked as he fingered the edge of his sword.

"He's with her, comforting her," Ardeth replied, not able to meet his warriors' eyes.

Nasir snorted at Ardeth's comment. "_Comforting_ her, of course," he remarked, before turning his back on his leader and heading back to the tent he shared with the others.

"Go back to sleep Tarig, I'll stand guard," Muammar said, and gave the young Med-Jai a small push towards the tent.

Muammar waited until Ardeth had re-settled around the fire before he spoke his concerns. "She may not know Ardeth." 

Ardeth looked up at his old friend in confusion. 

"She may not know he has a wife and child."

Ardeth ran his hand through his hair. "I…" He allowed to head to drop, his hair hiding his face.

Muammar knelt next to his leader, concern written on his face. "You don't want to think that your best friend, your brother, would cheat on his wife and break his holy vows. But Ardeth, you've seen, we _all_ have seen how they act together. Can you honestly believe there is nothing between them?"

Ardeth raised his head; despair filling his eyes. "What am I to do Muammar? If I say nothing I betray the trust of Evelyn. Yet if I _do_ say something I betray Rick's trust."

"You must follow your heart Ardeth, that is all you can do." 

Ardeth rose to his feet and made his way over to Fennec's tent, as Muammar watched. Slipping inside, Ardeth gazed upon his friend and the woman that saved him from the hands of slavers. They laid together, asleep, their arms and legs intertwined.

"Forgive me, my friend," Ardeth whispered, as he made his decision.

~*~

Stumbling out of Fennec's tent, Rick yawned, "Morning," to those gathered around the cooking pot.

Ardeth nodded his greeting, unable to meet his brother's eyes.

"Sleep well, Great Wahid?" Nasir snarled.

A smirk appeared on O'Connell's face as he accepted a bowl of porridge. "As a matter of fact, I did. For one thing I didn't have to listen to you braying like a camel in heat."

"I do _not_ bray like a camel!" Nasir snapped.

"I have to agree with Nasir," Muammar commented. "He doesn't bray like a camel, it's more like a avalanche."

"You're wrong Muammar, it's a camel," Tarig spoke up. "Remember when Khalid's female camel tried to get into your tent, Nasir?"

Nasir gave Tarig a look of disgust as the others chuckled. 

"What's going on?" Fennec asked as she came out of her tent, scratching her head.

"Morning, beautiful," said Rick, as he handed her a bowl of food. "We're trying to figure out what Nasir's snores are like. We have two votes for the braying of a camel and one for an avalanche."

"That was _snoring_?!? I though that was the snorts of a pig," she mumbled as she sat next to Ardeth.

Nasir suddenly got to his feet and stared down at the woman. "I am not a pig!!!" he snarled at her.

"Never claimed you were," Fennec replied as she shoved some flat bread into her mouth. "Just that you sound like one. _You_ made the comment about being a pig."

Nasir's mouth opened, and closed. Opened again, and shut again, all without a sound coming out of it. "You're… You're…" finally squeaked out his mouth.

The others tried in vain to hide their smirks as Fennec stared up at Nasir, and smiled.

"Do you think Ardeth is up to leaving today?" Rick asked, before Nasir could dig himself into more trouble with Fennec.

"Nah," Fennec said, with a shake of her head before anyone could comment. "I want Ardeth's back to heal some more before we move on. He needs to build up his strength some more."

"Since when do you order us around, woman?" Nasir snapped at Fennec

"You're right, he _is_ an ass," Fennec commented to Rick before turning her attention to the Mad-Jai warrior. "One, Ardeth's back needs to heal more before we go any great distance from a water source. Two, I own Ardeth. Three, I whipped your ass in a fight. And four, there's a sandstorm coming."

Rick bit his lip to keep from laughing in Nasir's face as the others looked away. 

"How do you know there is a sandstorm coming?" Muammar asked, changing the subject to keep the hot-tempered Med-Jai from doing anything rash.

"I may be a Khawaaga, but I can recognize the signs," Fennec explained as she ate her porridge.

"You're right, I apologize, _warrior_," Muammar said, smiling slightly, with a bow of his head. "I forget you are not an ignorant English lady."

"Apology accepted, Muammar," Fennec replied, returning the bow, d in honor of her fellow warrior.

"Don't feel too bad Muammar," Rick spoke up suddenly. "Fennec was trained to make people think of her as _poor genteel English lady_."

"Only because you couldn't pull off a British Lord to save your life."

"What do you mean I can't pull off a British Lord?" Rick complained. "I can do an _excellent_ British Lord!"

Fennec stared at Rick, a single eyebrow raised; her arms crossed over her chest. "Okay, a snobbish British _manservant_!" She broke down into giggle. "A _bad_, snobbish British manservant!"

"Then why did all those ladies try to hire me away from you?" Rick asked as he stared he down. 

Fennec leaned to the side slightly and stared at his rear. 

"Hey!!!" he exclaimed as he scooted around. 

"So do we have anything else beside dried meat and porridge?" Fennec asked, changing the subject as the Med-Jai stared at her in shock. "What? He has a great looking behind. I've only meet one other man who has a butt as nice," she explained in a wistful voice, as she remembered that other man.

"AERYN!!!" 

"Yes Richard?" she replied with smile as her eyes sparkled with merriment.

O'Connell's mouth opened, and closed, opened again, and shut again, all without a sound coming out of it. Suddenly he stood up and started to walk out of camp. "I'm going fishing," he called back to the others.

Fennec turned her attention towards the Med-Jai, and just smiled at them. 

"Tarig, go see if you can help my brother," Ardeth said as he stared right at Fennec, his face never betraying what was going on in his mind. "Nasir, Muammar, see what there is for local prey."

"Ardeth?!" Tarig said, in objection of the Med-Jai leader being left alone with this woman. "Your wounds need to be checked." 

"I'm sure Fennec won't object to looking after them," the Med-Jai leader said in a firm voice, leaving his warrior no room to object. "She's dealt with them before."

Ardeth and Fennec sat in silence as the warriors went off to their tasks. "Shall we go to my tent?" Fennec finally asked after several moments of silence, setting her bowl to the side.

With a nod of his head Ardeth got to his feet and walked into the tent. "Take your clothes off," Fennec said as she followed him in.

Ardeth soon had his robes off and sat on a blanket as Fennec pulled his hair to the side, out of her way. "You wanted to talk?" she stated as she started to examine his wounds.

He sat in silence for a few minutes. "It's about O'Connell," he finally said.

"What about Rick?" she replied as she continued her work.

"He's married, they have a son," Ardeth stated, as he stared straight ahead.

Fennec made an agreeing sound as she removed the bloody bandages that covered a deep wound. "Evelyn and Alex, I know."

"Do you love him?" Ardeth asked as he closed his eyes, dreading the reply

Cocking her head to the side, her brow furrowed in confusion. "Rick? Of course I love him," she replied

"Then leave!" Ardeth said as he turned his head, so he could see her from the corner of his eyes. "Leave Rick."

"What?! Why should I leave him?" 

Ardeth turned and grabbed Fennec by the arms, his fingers digging into her muscles. "I can't stand by and see you destroying his marriage, his happiness."

"What!?! What are you talking about?!?" she exclaimed as she tried to pull away from him.

"Do you think I'm blind?" Ardeth snarled, his eyes full of anger. "I've seen you together!"

"Ardeth, you're not making any sense!" 

"Do you think I did not see you sleeping in his arms last night? How you wrapped yourself around him!" Ardeth growled with hatred. "I will not allow you to destroy a good man!"

"Rick!! Muammar!! Anyone, come quick!! Something's wrong with Ardeth!!" Fennec called out in a panic as she struggled against Ardeth's steel grip. "Ardeth, let me go! Please, you're hurting me," she begged the Med-Jai.

"Aeryn? Ardeth?" Rick and Tarig busted into the tent.

"Something's wrong with him Rick! He's not making any sense," Fennec said as Ardeth finally released her. Scurrying out of Ardeth's reach, Fennec made her way over to O'Connell's side as the other Med-Jai entered the tent. "These no fever and none of the wounds are infected."

"Ardeth?" O'Connell knelt down and reached out to his brother, worry filling his eyes.

"I can't let you destroy what you have with Evy," Ardeth said as he grabbed Rick's forearm. "O'Connell, my brother, can't you see what is happening? What this will do to you and Evy?"

O'Connell studied Ardeth's face, trying to understand his brother's words. "See what? What are you talking about, Ardeth?" his voice contained the confusion he felt.

"We're not fools, Wahid," Nasir snarled, with a nod towards Fennec. "We all know what's going on between you and _her_!" 

Fennec looked back and forth between the Med-Jai, a confused look on her face. Suddenly her eyes widened as she realized what they were talking about. "**OUT! GET OUT OF MY TENT!!**" she bellowed as she started to push Nasir out. "**I WILL NOT BE INSULTED IN MY OWN TENT!**"

Turning to the other men, her eyes flashed angrily. "**OUT, ALL OF YOU! OUT!**" 

"Aeryn?" Rick asked in confusion.

"**THEY THINK WE'RE LOVERS!**"

"WHAT!" O'Connell gasped as he pulled out of Ardeth's grip. "Lovers? That's…that's…"

"DISGUSTING! I know!" Fennec said, finishing Rick's statement. "Just get _out_! All of you, just get _out_!"

Ardeth grabbed his robes and started to stand up when Fennec turned on him. "**SIT DOWN!**" she snarled, in a demon-like voice. "**I'M NOT FINISHED WITH YOU YET!**"

Rick watched for a moment as Fennec advanced on his brother like stalking tiger before slipping out of the tent, leaving Ardeth to his fate.

~*~

The Med-Jai jerked and twitched each time they heard their leader yelp or hiss in pain as Fennec took her anger out on Ardeth, while she cleaned his healing wounds.

Occasionally one of them would glance over to where O'Connell sat in silence staring at the tent, waiting. His mouth twitched infrequently into a strange grin.

"I'm going swimming," Fennec snapped, as she stormed from the tent. 

"Watch out for snakes," O'Connell comment, as he continued to stare at the entrance of the tent.

"They better look out for _me_!" she growled as she disappeared into the brush.

Slowly Ardeth hobbled out of the tent, a grimace of pain on his face with every step. Tarig immediately rushed to his side to help him. 

"I'm all right," Ardeth said as Tarig guided him to a shady place to sit. "She wasn't as gentle as she was before."

"You should be glad she left you with your skin attached, Ardeth!" Rick said as he eyed his brother.

"And you call yourself Ardeth's brother!" Nasir spit on the ground just inches from Rick's feet. "Aziza will be ashamed to have claimed you as her blood! You never once tried to help Ardeth while that…_woman_ tortured him."

"I don't remember _you_ doing anything either Nasir!" Rick replied to the Med-Jai warrior, his eyes turning hard and cold. "Besides, I knew Fennec wouldn't harm him, at least not permanently. After all, you _did_ soil her honor, _and_ mine."

"What?" the Med-Jai sputtered in confusion.

Ardeth raised his head wearily. "O'Connell… Rick…" he stumbled for the words.

"I know." Rick sighed wearily as he ran his hand through his hair. "She's my sister. Aeryn is my baby sister."

The Med-Jai stared in shock at the man, as the words he had just uttered began to sink in. 

O'Connell bit his lip as tried desperately to hold in his laughter until it exploded out of him. "You should see your faces!!!" He howled with laughter.

"Your sister?!?" Ardeth whispered, with dread.

Rick nodded as he wiped the tears of laughter from face. "Well, my half sister."

"Half sister?!?" the Med-Jai leader echoed back. "How?"

"Well, Ardeth if you don't know how, then I'm going to have a long talk with Aziza about your education," Rick commented, with a smirk.

"We were informed that you didn't have any family, that you were an only child," Nasir snapped.

"I was. My _father's_ only child, just not my _mother's_." Rick watched as the warriors tried to understand what he'd just said. "I never lied to you, Ardeth, or to anyone else. I thought Aeryn was dead, I was positive she was…and now I have my sister again."

Ardeth shook his head, sadly. "There is so much I do not know about you, O'Connell. I can only hope you forgive me for not trusting you."

"There is nothing to forgive. You believe you were doing the best to protect Evy and Alex for me," Rick said as he stood up. "Getting _Aeryn_ to forgive you is another matter, she has our mother's temper! As for my past…." O'Connell looked towards the heavens, his eyes following the flight of a hawk. 

"My father, Andrew O'Connell died when I was about nine months old. Michael McKnight was my father's best friend, brothers in everything but blood," Rick explained as he turned back to his brother. "Michael had promised my father that he would care for us if anything should happen."

Rick sat next to Ardeth in the shade. "My father was killed in a accident. When I was little I would ask about how he died but mom and Michael would only promise to tell me more," he explained with a shrug. "I never knew my father except through the stories mom and dad… Michael… no, my dad. Except through the stories mom and dad would tell me about him." O'Connell took a shuddering breath.

"Andrew O'Connell and Michael McKnight had been best friends from childhood. From what mom and dad told me, they were inseparable. Everyone thought they were brothers, and they were, except in blood. I don't know when my father and my…why Andrew and Michael had made a pact that if anything would happen to one of them, the other one would be there for their family."

"So Michael took care of you and your mother," Ardeth stated, learning more about his brother than he ever knew before.

"Yeah. They fell in love," Rick said with a smile, as he remembered them together. "They married about two years after Andrew's death. A year later Aeryn was born. Michael always treated me like a son, but also as his best friend's son."

"So what happened?" Tarig asked as he leaned forward, entranced by the Wahid's tale. "How did you and your sister end up in Egypt?"

"I was six and Aeryn was about four when we moved to Egypt. Dad had accepted some type of job here, I don't know what," Rick explained with a shrug. "Everything was going great..." His voice traveled of as he relived the past.

"What happened?" Ardeth asked carefully, see the anguish on his friend's face. "How did they die?" 

"A riot," Rick closed his eyes, tried to hide his pain. "We were at the market when a riot broke out. There was a small niche in a wall. Dad shoved us in there… " 

"And they were killed." 

Rick nodded his head in silence. "From there we ended up in the Holy Mother's Home for Lost Lambs. Better known to all that lived there as 'Gahannam'."

The group sat in silence until Ardeth finally spoke up. "O'Connell… Rick, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I accused you and Fennec of…"

"You didn't knew she was my sister," Rick said with a chuckle. "Honestly, I can see why you would think that way with how Aeryn and me acted around each other. But you do realize that's nothing is going to save you from her, right? She has a temper like the winds of the desert; she's either gentle and forgiving, or she'll strip the flesh from your bones!"

~*~

Ardeth and Rick spent most of the day learning more about each others past, when finally, as the sun began to sink, Aeryn came skipping back into the camp.

"Hi Rick," she said with a kiss on his cheek, after dropping a number of dead Asps into Nasir's lap. "Miss me?"

Rick looked up from where he sat as his baby sister grinned happily. His face paled immediately. "Oh this is bad," he moaned.

"Yep!" she squealed, as she rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet. "The worst ever."

With a groan O'Connell's head fell into his hands. "Please don't tell me you going to make them into eunuchs."

Fennec's face scrunched up as she thought. "Nooooo but that might happen. I can't really be positive what the results will be."

"Aeryn Charlene McKnight! What are you planning?" Rick asked in a firm father-like tone he used many times on his son, as he lifted his head to stare at his sister.

Aeryn's grin grew bigger as she knelt next to her brother and began to whisper in his ear. The Med-Jai watched as Rick's eyes grew wider and wider, a malicious grin appearing on his face.

"Oh that's bad, that's very bad," Rick stated when Fennec finished whispering. "You are a very wicked person."

"So you approve of my idea?" she asked as she bit her bottom lip.

"Of course I do," he replied, with a nod of his head. "And I'm also glad you're not mad at me."

"Oh don't worry, Bar, I plan to tell Evy and Alex about all your misadventures as a kid!" Fennec told him, with a smirk. "So what's for dinner? Besides roasted Asp."

~*~

The next morning found everyone busily breaking down the camp and loading the camels. 

"I thought you didn't want to travel far from water with Ardeth's injuries?" Nasir mocked.

"I did," Fennec snarled through clutched teeth, as she struggled with a knot in the tent rope.

"What changed your mind?" Tarig asked, as he came over to help her.

Fennec looked up to the sky, her eyes following the flight of the hawk as it drifted on the wind. 

"It's time to go," Rick simply said, taking the rope from her hands.

"But why?" Tarig pushed for answers, however neither one of them replied.

"It's the irrational demands of a woman!" Nasir snapped

"Can I kill him?" Fennec suddenly said, as her eyes followed Nasir.

"Humm, maybe later," Rick replied, not paying full attention to his sister's words.

"Okay." They continued to work when Fennec looked up, her eyes following Ardeth. "Bar," she said, as she watched.

Rick looked up and followed her line of sight. "And you say _I'm_ bullhead!" he mumbled under his breath as he watched his brother carry the leather water skins. "I'll be back," he said with a kiss on her forehead. "Once I deal with that pig headed brother of mine," he mumbled as he marched off after Ardeth.

"ARDETH BAY! WHAT THEY HELL ARE YOU DOING!?!" O'Connell growled as he marched right up to Ardeth as he knelt down and filled the skins from the oasis.

"I am filling the water skins, O'Connell, what do you think I am doing?" Ardeth replied, never looking up from his work.

"That's not what I mean Ardeth. You should be resting," Rick exclaimed as he took the skin out of his brother's hands. "We wouldn't even be traveling if it wasn't for…" O'Connell allowed his voice to trail off as he turned his full attention to filling the water skins.

Ardeth's brow furrowed, in confusion. "Why are we leaving?" Not getting a reply Ardeth laid a hand on Rick's shoulder. "Rick?" 

Rick turned his eyes towards him; Ardeth could see a trace of fear in them. "Why are we leaving?"

"Dreams," he replied, in an almost child-like tone.

"Dreams?" Ardeth repeated, in shock and confusion at his friend's sudden change.

Rick nodded his head; never looking back up at the man he called his brother. "We had dreams; bad dreams."

Ardeth sat quietly, watching his friend as he filled the skins. "Do they come true?" he finally asked.

"Sometimes," O'Connell replied, so quietly that Ardeth could barely hear him. "If Fennec and me share a dream, it will."

"And you two shared a dream last night?" 

Rick nodded his head at Ardeth's question, still not looking at his friend, his brother. 

"What was the dream about?"

Having finished filling the water skins, Rick sat, quietly staring out across the oasis. "Death. If we stay here, _no one_ will be going home."

~*~

Bar- hawk

QubTan - Captain

Abit - idiot

Khawaaga - foreigner

Gahannam - Hell


End file.
